Archive for November, 2010

Back in July, the 10:23 campaign were invited to work on a project with the BBC, as part of a wider documentary on homeopathy. The project involved ‘QED Vodka’ – a new, fictional, homeopathically-prepared vodka-based lifestyle drink.

Unfortunately, given the willingness of homeopaths involved in the documentary to admit to practices which were dangerous and unethical, the piece was dropped. However, all was not lost, and the footage was retrieved and edited – and ahead of an announcement this week of the 10:23 Campaign’s plans for 2011 it’s been released for your viewing pleasure.

The name of the vodka is, of course, taken from the ‘QED conference‘ – the 2 day science extravaganza which will feature as a centrepiece the 10:23 Campaign’s next major protest, details of which will be formally announced on Wednesday. Tickets are still available, and it’s not to be missed.

From time to time we at 10:23 get some pretty brilliant hate mail. Every now and again, one stands head and shoulders above the rest, and deserves to be shared – when this one dropped into the inbox last night, I knew it was one such piece. Enjoy!

From: LunarainTo: contact@1023.org.ukDate: 20 November 2010 21:05Subject: You did it all wrong

You should have consulted a homeopath when conducting your overdose. Any lay homeopath could have told you that the best way to produce symptoms using homeopathy is to REPEAT THE DOSE. That is how homepathic remedies are proven, duh!

Try this…

Arsenicum Album 30C or up higher, try a 200C

Repeat dose 3 times daily until symptoms appear. Stop them if you don’t want the damage to be permanant but continue if you really want to be a believer in the power of homeopathy.

You should begin to feel a burning from your mouth to your anus, incredibly painful. Go on, try it….

That is why homeopaths know that the minutest dose can cure,

It’s unfortunate that you haven’t seen the positive effects of homeopathy, because it is cheap to produce, and can make a big difference in the poor populations of the world, as well as the rich, that’s probably why India funds homeopathic hospitals, saves the gov’t lots of money, and EFFECTIVELY CURES!

A blast from the past! In the beginning, there was no 10:23 Campaign. There was no Giant Book of Fantastic Facts. Only three guys who decided to give podcasting a try. This is the previously un-published pilot episode of Skeptics with a K, recorded in the early Summer of 2009. Featuring Mike, Marsh, Colin – and a few more ums and ers than usual!

This week is the first anniversary of the report Free Speech is Not for Sale, which highlighted the oppressive nature of English libel law. In short, the law is extremely hostile to writers, while being unreasonably friendly towards powerful corporations and individuals who want to silence critics.

The English libel law is particularly dangerous for bloggers, who are generally not backed by publishers, and who can end up being sued in London regardless of where the blog was posted. The internet allows bloggers to reach a global audience, but it also allows the High Court in London to have a global reach.

You can read more about the peculiar and grossly unfair nature of English libel law at the website of the Libel Reform Campaign. You will see that the campaign is not calling for the removal of libel law, but for a libel law that is fair and which would allow writers a reasonable opportunity to express their opinion and then defend it.

The good news is that the British Government has made a commitment to draft a bill that will reform libel, but it is essential that bloggers and their readers send a strong signal to politicians so that they follow through on this promise. You can do this by joining me and over 50,000 others who have signed the libel reform petition athttp://www.libelreform.org/sign

Remember, you can sign the petition whatever your nationality and wherever you live. Indeed, signatories from overseas remind British politicians that the English libel law is out of step with the rest of the free world.

If you have already signed the petition, then please encourage friends, family and colleagues to sign up. Moreover, if you have your own blog, you can join hundreds of other bloggers by posting this blog on your own site. There is a real chance that bloggers could help change the most censorious libel law in the democratic world.